Super Heroes

The comic largely passed us by this year, but now Dark Horse have a new trade paperback compilation of Angel Catbird — written by none other than Margaret Atwood, creator of The Handmaid’s Tale. “A genetic engineer caught in the middle of a chemical accident all of a sudden finds himself with superhuman abilities. With these new powers, he takes on the identity of Angel Catbird and gets caught in the middle of a war between animal/human hybrids. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, educational, and pulp-inspired superhero adventure–with a lot of cat puns.” Illustrated by Johnie Christmas and Tamra Bonvillain,The Complete Angel Catbird is available now.

At last! A cool high-quality ashcan we saw last year at San Diego Comic Con is now being printed by Arcana Studio: The Los Valiants Volume 0 graphic novel. “From writer/colorist Edgar Delgado (Ultraduck, Superior Spider-Man, Darth Vader) comes a collection of 7 short stories about Featherbay’s resident superhero, Ultraduck and his friends from Canis Hill. Together they are Los Valiants!” If you remember Ultraduck then you know the quality of art you’ll find here.

Things take a furry turn once again over at Vertigo’s Astro City comic. (Remember that gorilla drummer?) This time, it’s canine costumed crusader. From Previews: “Meet G-Dog, possibly Astro City’s most unusual superhero ever. Half man, half dog – but who’s running the show? The answers will change a life, reveal another hero’s deepest secrets, and possibly, just possibly, save the world. Oh, who are we kidding… they’ll definitely change the world. Do you see that handsome face?” Issue #47 hits the shelves in early September.

According to an article at Animation Magazine, the Chinese tech company Tencent has agreed to invest heavily in the development of a new CGI series, Super BOOMi, created by Up Studios (also from China). This furry little super hero has already enjoyed widespread exposure in China, and now his creators are looking to expand his reach to international markets. Up Studios are also working on at least two other animated adaptations: Piggy and Tomo Explores The World.

Somehow this missed us the first time around, but now it’s out in a new in a new full-color hardcover collection from Image Comics: All 25 issues of The Astounding Wolf-Man. “When Gary Hampton is mauled and left for dead, his life takes a drastic turn! When the moon is full, he transforms into a beast of the night—a werewolf! But this curse will not be used for evil. Witness the birth of the world’s most unlikely new superhero—The Astounding Wolf-Man!” It’s written by none other than Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) with art by Jason Howard. Look for it at the end of this month.

Things are definitely getting “serious” (if we can use that word) in the world of DC Comics meets Warner Brothers Cartoons. That, or someone in the the upper echelons has come completely unhinged… Check out the these titles for upcoming series: Batman/Elmer Fudd Special. Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam Special (featuring Foghorn Leghorn too!). Legion of Super Heroes/Bugs Bunny Special. Lobo/Road Runner Special. (Lobo teamed up with Wile E. Coyote. Can the universe survive??) Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian Special. And (as pictured below) the Wonder Woman/Tasmanian Devil Special. All this, plus a graphic novel reprint of the DC/Looney Tunes 100-Page Super Spectacular, a miniseries from 2000 that was the kick-off for all of this silliness. All of them arrive later this month, and CBR has a look at some of the amazing covers.

We can kind of see how the pitch for this series probably went… “Okay, kids love dinosaurs, and kids love superheroes. How about… a show that has both??” That’s the basic idea behind Supersaurus 7, a new CGI animated series from Misery Bear creator Chris Hayward (helped along by designer and illustrator Henry Coate). According to Animation World Network, the show is “…set on a reimagined planet Earth, on the prehistoric sprawling continent of Pangea, long before human existence. Supersaurus 7 follows the comedic adventures of a group of young dinosaurs who chance upon a mysterious blue lava flowing from the very core of the Earth, whose energy transforms them into superhero dinosaurs. Each is armed with a super power that amplifies their dinosaur traits, and when they work together they can be an indomitable force, that is if they can learn to use their new powers correctly! Fending off rampaging T-Rex’s, rescuing distressed dinos from erupting volcanoes, and zapping incoming asteroids, these hot-headed, heroic and technologically advanced young dinosaurs strive to save the day. They also have to confront the rise of a new threat, the mammals, led by a despotic Gerbil with short rodent syndrome.” Like many of the shows we’ve discussed, it’s looking for distribution now.

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is a French animated TV series by Thomas Astruc and ZAG Animation, which premiered in 2015. It tells the story of two high school kids in Paris, Marinette and Adrien, who inherit the powers of Ladybug and Cat Noir — charged with defeating the evil spirits that turn ordinary people into dangerous criminals. Each of them has joined up with a Kwami, a good magical spirit who transforms them into their super-selves for a limited time. The series was dubbed in English and it’s been running on Nickelodeon in North America — as well as released on DVD by Shout! Factory. What’s more, now Action Lab have now produced a new full-color Miraculouscomic book series.

Looks like Harley Quinn and her lady-pals aren’t the only ones running into talking animals this month. In Convergence: Adventures of Superman #1, the Man of Steel and Supergirl journey through the mysterious Phantom Zone — and wind up battling an army of intelligent apes from the world of Kamandi, Last Boy on Earth! Fortunately Kamandi and some less destruction-minded animals are there to help out. This one is written by Marv Wolfman, one of DC’s superstars. The art is by Andy Owens and Roberto Viacava, with a cover by Mikel Janin. Again, it’s on the shelves right now.